In the News

Gov. Jay Inslee and members of the Democratic-controlled Legislature on Thursday stressed their desire to rein in the oil industry’s record profits as Washingtonians continue to pay for the most expensive fuel in the nation.

Washington drivers for weeks have paid the highest gas prices in the nation. And now some state legislators and Gov. Jay Inslee are forming plans to force oil companies to disclose how much money they’re making.

With an average price of around $4.95 for a gallon of regular unleaded – the highest anywhere in the country – gas in Washington is expensive. That’s not in dispute. But when it comes to the reasons for the spike, what to do about it, and how much the state’s new cap-and-trade program is to blame, there’s growing disagreement.

Washington’s second quarterly auction for pollution allowances will likely bring in more than $557 million, a higher-than-expected jump in revenue that the state can put toward programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.

The passage of the Climate Commitment Act in 2021 was a historic moment in Washington’s efforts to address the devastating effects of climate damage. It sent a loud and clear message to those who have polluted our air and water for far too long: enough is enough. It is time for polluters to be held accountable for their actions and ...

Washington state lawmakers voted to bar utilities from shutting off people’s power and water when high temperatures are forecast. House Bill 1329 passed the Senate last week and now awaits Gov. Jay Inslee’s signature, which may happen as soon as Thursday.

Washington’s first auction of greenhouse gas pollution allowances generated $300 million. Now, state senators are proposing to invest millions from the program in electrifying ports, schools and homes, conserving old forests, and helping relocate Indigenous communities who are vulnerable to climate change.

In the final days of the state legislative session, Seattle lawmakers quietly bailed out a hotel-based homeless shelter program that ran out of money in early April, using $6 million in “underspend” from a program that addresses encampments in state-owned rights-of-way to keep the hotels open while the King County Homelessness Authority tries to find places for hotel residents to ...